V-CLUB TRAINING CORNER

We’ve teamed up with Marilyn Trout, certified USA Cycling Elite Coach to answer V-Club members’ training questions. You can view her coach profile at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mountainpedalscoaching80903

Send your cycling inquiries to Marilyn, and for a limited time, if yours is selected to be answered in our V-Club column, VeloWear will send you a $20 gift certificate that can be used towards any purchase on VeloWear.com. To submit your inquiry, e-mail her at trout_mic@msn.com, and type “V-Club Training Question” in the subject line of the e-mail.

V-Club member Ray Middleton is our 50th winner of a $20 VeloWear gift certificate! His question follows ...

Fuel For Thought

Question from V-Club member Benne Wong

Ray,

My thought is that a healthy nutritional program has the very same approach as a sound training program – if you have a good foundation in the basics you can never go wrong. A good menu would include lean meat, fish and poultry, fresh fruits and vegetables (lots of color on the plate covers many nutrients) while limiting high and moderate high glycemic index carbohydrates, processed foods and hydrogenated fats. With regards to sugar and “treats”, I’d have to agree with coach Gale Bernhardt, “If you enjoy things like chocolate, cookies, adult beverages, or chips, there are ways to build those treats into a healthy eating plan without feeling like you've committed food sins. The 80-20 rule applies to eating, I believe. If you eat nutritionally dense foods 80 percent of the time, 20 percent of your diet can take a diversion to treats without significant negative consequences.” I like to use the word “moderation” when it comes to eating well.

Within a good foundational structure, obviously, there are individual differences that must be considered. Some thrive on food items that would spell disaster for others: dairy, red meat, wheat… Quickly on in my racing career, I realized that a hearty bowl of oatmeal and milk, even hours before competition, would be my demise. Ultimately, the goal is to find a nutritional strategy that gives you optimal health and fits your lifestyle.

Let’s move on to the bike… I’ll turn to a few articles that Peg Labiuk has in the Voler archives.

Pre-Ride Fuel (March ’09 - Avoiding the Bonk)

Eat something more substantial, like a poached egg, bagel with protein (peanut butter, cheese), yogurt, even a hearty soup would be better than simple sugars. I'm a fan of oatmeal (preferably made from whole grain like steel-cut oats) with nuts and dried fruit. It is also important to eat and drink regularly during the ride, not when the "idiot light" goes on and you are hungry or thirsty. It's too late to replenish then. Use the rule of thumb of consuming 1 bottle over each hour and eating every hour. You'll have to experiment with drinks and pocket foods to find what works for you.

Post-Ride Fuel (Nov ’08 – Best Recovery Drink)

The best recovery drink is… chocolate milk! Check out the study done by Dr. Joel Stager at Indiana University and published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise. He says, “Chocolate milk contains an optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio, which is critical for helping refuel tired muscles after strenuous exercise and can enable athletes to exercise at a high intensity during subsequent workouts. So, you get fluid replacement, enough protein without going overboard, carbohydrates, great taste, and save some bucks to boot! You can get low fat or skim chocolate milk, lactose-free, soy, or rice milk. If you have only done a lighter aerobic workout, you can shave some calories by drinking plain skim milk. It couldn’t be simpler, could it?

Examples of 2 professional riders’ nutritional approach

Phil Zajicek: 5-foot-9; 140 pounds
Pre-race meal: 3.5 hours before start—2 cups cooked oatmeal, 4 tbsp. raisins, 3 oz. whole milk, 2 slices raisin toast, 4 tbsp. peanut butter, 12 oz. coffee

Total: 1,030 calories, 135 grams carbohydrate, 38 grams protein, 37 grams fat

	87-mile Stage at Mount Hood	18.5-mile Time Trial
Breakfast	1.5 cups Wheat Chex, 1 cup oat milk, 1 slice toast with jam, 1 slice toast with peanut butter, 2 mugs earl grey tea with milk and sugar	3 slices white toast with butter and jam, ¾ cup shredded wheat, ½ cup oat milk, 1 mug earl grey tea with sugar
During Race	4 gels, 1 gel block, 3 bottles of carbohydrate-electrolyte drink	1 gel
Post-race	2 bottles Clif Recovery Drink, sandwich with avocado, 2 slices provolone, 6 pieces salami, and one Clif Z Bar	1 gel, 1 Clif Recovery Drink, 1 peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Lunch		5.5 cups cooked pasta, 3 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tbsp. grana padano cheese, 12 oz. beer
Dinner	Handful of chips, salsa, small green chili enchilada, 1/2 cup beans, 1/2 cup rice, 32 oz. horchata	7 oz. grilled salmon, small salad with hazelnuts and strawberries, 1 cup chocolate gelato, 12 oz. beer
DAILY TOTAL	5,120 calories, 810 grams carbohydrate, 140 grams protein, 150 grams fat	4,025 calories, 570 grams carbohydrate, 140 grams protein, 130 grams fat

Georgia Gould: 5-foot-8; 132 pounds
Pre-race meal: 1.5 cups homemade granola, soy or almond milk, banana, blueberries, and maybe 1 to 2 eggs; Half an energy bar and carbohydrate-electrolyte drink leading up to the race

Total: 930 calories, 125 grams carbohydrate, 35 grams protein, 32 grams fat

	2-hour Training Ride	4-hour Road Ride
Breakfast	1.5 cups seven grain hot cereal, 4-6 oz. soy milk, 1 tbsp. almond butter, 2 tbsp. currants	2 cups cooked oatmeal, 4 oz. soy milk, mix of banana, strawberries, currants
Pre-ride	1 energy bar	1 peach, ½ cup leftover oatmeal
During Ride	2 bottles of carbohydrate-electrolyte drink and 1 energy bar	4 bottles of carbohydrate-electrolyte drink, 2 packages of Clif Bloks, 2 energy bars, 1 pack Luna Tea Cakes
Post-ride	2 vegetable tamales, salad	1 bottle Clif Shot Recovery, and an almond butter and jam sandwich
Snack	3 slices of bread, goat cheese, salad, and a peach
Dinner	2 ears corn on the cob, 1 chicken-apple sausage, grilled zucchini, salad with cucumber, avocado, pine nuts, figs, mixed greens, dressing	4 cups of homemade borscht, 1 cup brown rice, 3 slices whole grain bread, small portion goat cheese, salad of mixed greens, smoked salmon, cucumber, avocado, figs, blueberries and strawberries
DAILY TOTAL	2,650 calories, 360 grams carbohydrate, 81 grams protein, 100 grams fat	3,700 calories, 625 grams carbohydrate, 110 grams protein, 85 grams fat

Other nutritional tidbits

• A pre-ride meal tops off liver and muscle glycogen stores. At any training intensity, muscle glycogen is vital, with more being needed as intensity increases.
• Smaller but essential amounts of liver glycogen maintain blood glucose levels. Blood glucose keeps muscles working when muscle glycogen runs low, after about 60 to 90 minutes. This is also your brain's only fuel source and helps to maintain focus and concentration during challenging rides.
• Starting out with optimal carbohydrate stores and maintaining blood glucose levels during a ride can help lessen the stress of intense training upon the immune system. It is also very important to be well hydrated before you ride.
• The pre-ride meal should be easy-to-digest mainly carbohydrates such as cereals, toast and bagels, while tempering protein and fat levels appropriately.
• Reduce the consumption of whole grains and higher fiber foods if you have a sensitive gastrointestinal system and when there is less time to digest them.
• Different carbohydrates affect blood glucose differently. Foods with a lower glycemic index, such as whole grains, brown rice and yogurt, cause a slower and more sustained release of blood glucose, while high GI foods like waffles, pancakes and white bread cause a more rapid rise in blood glucose. Some research has suggested that low GI carbohydrate foods are useful before exercise to provide a more sustained carbohydrate release.

There are many helpful books out there that can provide a more thorough review of nutrition as it relates to performance in cycling. One that you might find interesting and succinct is Joe Friel’s, Cycling Past 50.

My best,
Marilyn

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Technorati tags: training tip, cycling

Print | posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 12:00 AM